JULY 1'. 201_~
604·665·2289
National Aboriginal Day Celebration
was held at Oppenheimer Park, our downtown eastside backyard, on Saturday June 25th, 2016. It was to celebrate the cultural richness of Aboriginal people in the downtowi eastside and welcomed all. Our elder, Sam George from the Ts leil-waututh territory, opened up the Aboriginal Day ..Thank you to the coast salish for allowing us to live, work and play." It was beautiful to see everyone from young children to elders - celebrating the festive event. Local and outside community members came together through music and dancing. There were also community tables and artisan vendors. Just to name a few: Carnegie Community Learning Centre, Oppenheimer Children's Park, Native Court Workers, Vancouver Public Library, Indian Residential School Survivors Society, Wish Centre and vendors who sold their art. We had volur teers and staff of the Carnegie Community Centre who put on Aboriginal Day Celebration, and funders like Cana dian Heritage, Carnegie Community Centre, Local 15 Coupe, Cupe BC, Bean Around the World, Sunrise Produc to make this event possible. Such colourful performances with Tradtional Mothers and fathers dance group, Kwhlii Gibaygum Nisga's Tradtional Dancers, Urban Haida, Harmony of Nations, Love Medicine and exhibition dancing, Michael Nardachioni, Going MIA form Hobbema School, Baby Fats and few local park members who sang some songs. Story Telling in the tipi by Randy Tait. I hope to see you next year's festive it's only a hop and skip away from the Carnegie Community Centre. In closing humour is healing no matter what race you are, ok ...Stay Beautiful at Heart. By Priscillia M Tait, wetsuwet'en
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Oppenheimer Park NEWS FROM OPPENHEIMER PARK SUMMER HOURS 604-253-8830 Monday - Sunday, 9:15am - 5:00pm NEW PROGRAMS BLUE BONNET BOCCE CB.B.B) MONDA YS, 2PM - 4PM Find a mysterious Blue Bonnet Lady and enjoy the afternoon of bocce ball! BASEBALL SUNDA YS, 2PM - 4PM Join us and let's get ready for upcoming baseball games with Carnegie team, Asahi Tribute Baseball team and more! OTHER PROGRAMS OPPEN ARTS STUDIO IN JULY: SKETCH AT
THEPARK/WATERCOLOUR THURSDAYS, 1O:30AM -lPM Take a pencil & paper & sketch your favourite scenery or objects in the park! CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: THE 9TH ANNUAL OPPEN~EIMER PARK COMMUNITY ART SHOW Submission form available at the Park, submission deadline is Thursday, July 14 at 4pm Oppenheimer Park is excited to announce the 9th Annual Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show! The theme for this year's show will be announced soon! We're currently seeking artists, artisans and crafters who are interested in participating in the show! For more information: Visit the Park or contact 604253-8830 or oppparkartshow@gmail.com
Lyric Life The song starts. I go away not far - inside myself, at home in daydreams and fantasy until the song is over. I live inside my head all the time so when the song is good I can be happy. Stephen Belkin
CRAB WATER
FOR LIFEr RADIO BANDCOUVER & NORTHERN
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OPENING SPEAKERS: JENNY KWAN MP, MELANIE MARK MLA, AND A VANCOUVER PARK BOARD COMMISSIONER ALONG WITH FIRST NATION OPENING.
5
Feminist Zombie Rag Dolls By Diane Wood¡ In the 3rd floor Gallery of the Carnegie Community Centre for the month of July; Artist's reception on Tuesday July 5th From 4:30 - 6:00. I started making art dolls - witches, pirates, clowns & Alice in Wonderland a few years ago. When I discovered, thanks to Google, that female pirates had really lived, I read everything I could on them. For this show, I have researched and created an 18 member gang of notorious bad girls and freedom fighters, like the group who sat down to eat at Judy Chicago's Dinner Party. These strong, independent women swam against the tide of their times, and challenged the public belief "You can't do that because you're a WOMAN!" Western Civilization has swept their accomplishments under the rug, and out of the HIStory books. You've heard of Mata Hari, the dancer who was executed as a spy & Lucrezia Borgia, the Pope's pretty daughter. Do you know the names of crossdressing pirates, bandits & soldiers, warrior queens who resisted the colonization of their land, and artists who created in a world where women were only exhibited in galleries if they were nude models? I would like to thank the Vancouver Foundation for the Small Arts Grant I used to buy art supplies.
Maria Martinez doll Photo credit: Diane Wood
Call for Submissions
The 9th Annual Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show Submission forms available at the Park. Oppenheimer Park is excited to announce the 9th Annual Community Art Show! The theme for this year's show will be announced soon! We're currently seeking artists, artisans and crafters who are interested in participating in the show!
Guidelines -Space is limited to 35 artists max. -he show is mainly focuced on artists who participate in the Oppenheimer Park program. -Some spots may be available to other artists. -subrnission does not guarantee entry into the show For more information: 604-253-8830 or oppparkartshow@gmail.com -Vaughan Evans
Community Alert BC Bus Pass Program Update Dear Community Partner,
disability alliance be Pormerly
BC Coalition
we areal! connected teI604.875.0188 www.disabilityallianeebe.org
01' People with
Disabilities
The Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation has announced that it is eliminating the $45 annual administrative fee for people on PWD benefits who receive a bus pass through the Bus Pass Program. People on PWD who use the bus pass will no longer have to reapply for it on an annual basis. The Ministry is sending a letter to PWD bus pass holders this week. The letter states that there will be a $25 increase in the PWD support rate beginning September 1,2016 (payment date August 24) and bus pass holders will have the option of keeping their bus pass or having a $52."transportation allowance" added to their cheque each month. People on PWD who do not have a bus pass will have the $52 transportation allowance added to their Sep tember cheque automatically. If you have a bus pass already and want to keep your bus pass you do not have to do anything. If you have a bus pass and want to cancel it to get the additional $52 cash amount added to your cheque beginning September I you need to contact the Ministry by August 5 to let them know. If you choose the $52 cash amount you can still use your bus pass until the end of August. After that you still have the option to switch back and forth between the bus pass and $52 cash amount on a monthly basis. To do this you need to contact the Ministry by the 5th of the previous month to let them know (e.g. contact the Ministry by October 5th to start or stop your bus pass for November). People on PWD who receive a Comforts Allowance, Room and Board, or a PWD top-up payment will also benefit from the $25 increase and have the choice between a bus pass or a $52 per month transportation allowance starting Septeinber 1, 2016. Three ways to contact the Ministry about your Bus Pass By Phone: Monday to Friday, 9 am - 4 pm, call 1-866-866-0800. By Email: You can email theBCBusPassProgramatSDSIBUSPA@gov.bc.ca. Allow up to five business days to receive a response by email. Online via My Self Serve: After Aug 5th, you can access services online through My Self Serve at www.myselfserve.gov.bc.ca. once registered.
Inside Out and Over A poem for p.e.t.a. et
POsITIVrrY As I lie confined, seemingly forever, endlessly it feels Here in my new & still unfamiliar domain & yet some what comfy like a hotel on the outskirts of a large tourist town (like in who knows where). It simply matters less & less to me as the days pass slowly by gradually descending into cloudy twilight that envelopes worry and despair. What am I to do but carry on to an inevitable conclusion which I am almost convinced will be positive when all is said and all is done. 1 have to try hard sometimes to envision this empowering scenario ... Come what may I believe hope springs eternal. ROBYN LlVINGSTONE.
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We don't slay minotaurs anymore ... We connect labyrinths so the animals can breed and prosper. We're working from inside the metaphor now, Bill and Sylvia, instead from under it. The new laughter swells into a newer music, closer than ever to the silence it interrupts. Our time is a shining, pale blue jewel we wear on Ot minds like a vow ... We don't slay Minotaurs anymore since we found 0 Adriane's thread is the optic nerve Stephen Belkin "sometimes I'm so happy I could scream" - Tragically Hip.
From the Library
Dr. Batt
As the new library on Hastings & Heatley, the nacatmat et Strathcona branch is constructed some cool announcements have been made. It's going to be 11,000 square feet and several local people are being honoured. Mary Lee Chan, a community organizer in Strathcona in the 1960s was recognized with the "Wo Soon (Mary) Lee Chan Room" - Mary rallied to preserve the neighbourhood against a highway through to Vancouver. There's also a "Nellie Yip Quong Room", acknowledging her pursuits as a nurse and midwife in Chinatown, as well as an interpreter. And finally, there is a "Bud Osborn Creation Space"! Bud's sister Leslie responded with affirmation, knowing how much Bud loved books, loved the community, & how the space will support local storytelling and creativity. Here are some library titles highlighting Strathcona and its history ... At Home with History: the untold secrets of Greater Vancouver's heritage homes by Eve Lazarus (2007) Hogan'sAlIey by Yann and Mike Jo (2011) Opening Doors in Vancouver's East End by Carol Itter and Daphne Marlatt (2011) Philip Timms' Vancouver: 1900-J910 by Fred Thirkell and Bob Scullion (2006) Strathcona: Vancouver's First Neighbourhood by John Atkin (1994) IThe Story of Strathcona School by Stanley McLarty (1961) A Walking Tour of the Downtown Eastside: Footprints community art project by Bob Moss (2003).
Years ago I was living in the Brandiz Hotel. There was rats in there. There were no running showers (that worked) in the building, so I used to take a sponge bath in the little sink. One big red/brown rat moved in. He used to jump on my bed all the time. I'd just move my feet & he'd jump off again. I tried to rent another room down here but there was no vacancy anywhere. r went 'n saw the Manager. He gave me rat poison. That rat was dead under my bed. My boyfriend threw it out the window. The next day another rat moved in. That was too much. I went & saw Dr Batt & told him what was happening. He asked me ifI'd like to live in Central City Lodge and I said, "Anything will be better than living where I am." That same week I was beaten up by the Police. In the morning I was released from jail & got my boyfriend to phone the ambulance. At St Paul's they gave me Tylenol 3 but that night I was robbed at my room. The next day it was back to St Paul's where I got T3's with morphine. Later that day I got robbed of my meds again. On the third day I got a third ambulance but went to Van General. There they actually Xrayed my left arm & I had an operation. When] left the hospital they took me to Central City Lodge - Dr Batt sated my life! I thanked him twice!! (Those rats would've killed me eventually) I couldn't use my right arm because of the prosthesis & my left arm was in excruciating pain so I couldn't use it either. They gave me T3's in the morning & at night. I couldn't pick up utensils & I couldn't make a phonecall neither. The care aides at CC Lodge fed & bathed me for the next six months. All this came because I have a wonderful, compassionate doctor.
The Strathcona branch is now officially closed after 44 years, with the exception of kids' storytimes on Wednesdays in MacLean Park. Some of the staff will be joining us here for the summer until the new space opens in the fall. Please welcome them! Your librarian, Natalie
A New Truth for Melanie & the Moody Blues
Let me be the first to say even if I'm the last to know ... Show me what's behind the mirror inside the black cat-box,
MarJene Wuttunee
under the words, between the seconds. tell me what the silence says when it thinks no one's listening. Was that the wind just now or did Robbie Robertson just finish a new song behind my mind (again)? Stephen Belkin
New Website Helps BC Residents with Everyday Legal Problems The Justice Education Society of BC (JES) is pleased to announce the launch of their new website: www.JusticeEducation.ca. The Society is introducing a range of new information and services that will help improve the legal capability of British Columbians. From the home page, site visitors are greeted by JES - a virtual assistant. "In life, sometimes everyday issues can become legal problems", she explains. "I'm here to help you get the information you need". And she does exactly that, in a number of ways. To start, users are invited to select their issue from one of 10 legal topics. The list includes everyday issues like working, housing, family, and crime. The virtual assistant provides some basic information about the selected topic, and then site users can get more information from 36 legal help guides, 158 info sheets and 93 videos. All the info sheets have Google Translate, which convelts the text to one of 100 different languages. This feature alone makes JusticeEducation.ca the most accessible legal information websites in Canada, but the site provides even more innovation. Weekdays, from l l am to 2pm, site users can click "Ask JES" to ask questions about any of the 10 legal topics. Answers are provided by live chat. During offline hours, users can submit their question plus their email address to receive an answer. The Ask JES service is both unique and innovative. It's a first for BC and a first for legal issues in Canada. "Ask JES legal help services are powered by two distinct elements" ys Dave Nolette, Digital Program Director for the Society. "To start, we developed a knowledge base of hundreds of questions and answers that have been legally reviewed. This is used by our service delivery partner, UBC's Law Students Legal Assistance Program." Law students respond to live chat and email inquiries using the same knowledge base. Along with these new legal help information and services, the new JusticeEducation.ca website also introduces the JES Online Academy - a hub for online justice courses - and highlights the Society's International program. The JES Academy is a hub for online courses that cover a range of legal issues, such as renting, parent-
ing after separation, cyber safety, youth crime and more. The International section highlights the justice system capacity development work of the Society in IS countries - including active projects in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Guyana and Panama. ''It's great to see how are international work is profiled on the new website" says the organization's founder and executive director, Rick Craig. "For BC, the site introduces a new standard oflegal help information and services. We're really excited about being able to help more people get answers to their legal questions." If you have legal questions, pot them to the test. Visit JusticeEducation.ca and Ask JES to learn more about how to address your legal issues. Contact: Dave Nolette, Digital Program Director Phone: 604-660-1943 Email: Dave.Nolette@JusticeEducation.ca Lisa Hemmingson Program & Communications Coordinator I lJ ~"I
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EDUCATIO ) ell
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Justice Education Society of BC #260 - 800 Homby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C5 www.JusticeEducation.ca T 604-775-0131
CARNEGIE
COMMUNITY
ACTION
PROJECT
NEWSLETTER JULY 2016
One of Chinatown largest and most affordable SRO Hotels, the May Wah, is up for sale. The building at 262 East Pender Street includes three storeys containing some 120 rooms of low-income housing plus four ground-level retail stores that cater to the low-income and chinese community.
Low-income housing at risk in Chinatown Louie claims that there are limits on what a new owner could do since the building is protected both as a residential SRO hotel under the SRA by-law and as a designated heritage building.
CCAP has learned about a new threat to the housing for Downtown Eastside residents. The May Wah Hotel on East Pender Street, owned by the Shon Yee Benevolent Association, is now up for sale, leaving the future otthe 120 units of low-income housing, and residents who live there, up in the air. The building has been fixture to the community providing rent as low as $175 to low-income Chinatown residents. The hotel is one of many SRO hotels in Chinatown owned by benevolent societies, which together provide almost 600 units of low-cost housing. According to newspapers, the decision to sell the hotel came after years of discussion in the society, which has been conflicted between desires to preserve the housing obtained by their elders, and liability concerns as both the building and society members aged. The decision to sell was made in April, with a deadline for offers set this month.
However, CCAP has seen how these protections means little to nothing in practice for low-income tenants. According to the by-laws, landlord who want to re-develop SRO units have to pay a $125,000 conversion fee per unit. However, many SROs have been able to evict their tenants, renovate the buildings and charge higher rates for the rooms without paying the $125,000 per unit fee. King-mong Chan, from the Chinatown Concern Group and CCAP, pointed out • that "some of the tenants won't be able to handle the stress of being displaced." Kingmong also pointed out that the May Wah hotel is also "the largest SRO in Chinatown, and also has the largest concentration of Chinese residents in a single building." Latest reports say that a group of non-profits has gotten together with Vancity Credit Union to put in an offer to buy the building and keep it as low-income housing. At risk as well are the handful of businesses on the ground floor. Their future will also be decided by the new owner of the hotel.
By CCAP practicum student Andres Oswill Vision Vancouver city councillor Raymond
Assemble at Oppenheimer Park at noon lunch & speeches march to
58
W Hastings Community Feast
1,84 7 people were reported as homeless in Vancouver this year, the highest number since counts began. 2000 1750
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City's homeless count reported record number of new homeless in Vancouver On June 15, the city presented its 2016 Homeless Count, which found that 1,847 people were homeless in the City, 1308 in shelters and 539 on the street. This is the highest number since the counts began in 2005. This year, we also saw the biggest surge in new homeless people since the begininng of the count. A staggering 61 % of the repondents said they had been homeless less than a year. Vancouver now has the highest rate of homelessness out of all Canadian cities. The homeless count found that Indigenous people are still disproportionately represented on the street, making up almost 40% of the homeless population. This is an increase from 2015. The report also found that homeless youth are more likely to be LGTBQ2+, Indigenous, or have health issues than homeless adults. Joanne Shaw from CCAP brought an excellent spotlight during council meeting on June 15th to wheelchair accessibility, explaining how "there is a serious lack of wheelchair accessible units and there are not enough accessible being built in new social housing."
- (:I@ty a n V .
One of the City's Senior Planners, Celine Mauboules, explained how welfare rates have been stagnant while housing and living costs have continued to rise. She said what the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) has been saying for years, that SRO's are charging more and more in rent while less and less rooms are available at welfare rents. Carnegie Outreach reported how it has seen a huge increase in the number of people it serves. As rents in SRO hotels have been raised above what people on welfare can afford, the need for social housing has become even more extreme, but so has the waitlists. There are now 2,300 people on the waitlist for BC supportive housing. CCAP volounteer Harold Lavender pointed out in a speech to council that "the city's policy in terms of social housing is kind of a deception to the public as very few of the units in so called social housing are targeted to people making $375". Concluding, "If you want to solve the homeless problem, you just have to build a lot more units at welfare and shelter rates."
By Andres Oswill
Thank you to Vancity for supporting CCAP's work. Support for this project does not necessarily imply that funders endorse the findings or contents of this newsletter.
Unpacking
government claims about homelessness
Unless all three levels of government take immediate action, next year Vancouver will have even more homeless people than the record-breaking 1,847 counted this year. That means more people are going to die early as homeless people have only about half the life expectancy as other B.C. residents. It also means taxpayers are going to have to keep shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars in health care, policing, and shelter costs for homeless people when several studies show it's way cheaper to house homeless people than to keep them on the street. And it means that the 93 percent of Vancouver residents who want to see homelessness solved, won't. All three levels of government claim to be dealing with homelessness. But let's unpack what they are really doing. The Province says it will spend $50 million on social housing this year. If all of that money were spent on social housing, it could build 250 units across the province. Meanwhile provincial welfare rates are so low that people can't afford rent, foster kids who age out of care at age 19 don't have adequate support, and the province refuses to close loopholes in the Residential Tenancy Act that allow landlords to raise rents as much as they like when they buy out, harass out, or evict out an existing tenant, or if the tenant simply moves. The province also per-
mits fixed-term leases which allow landlords to evict for no cause or raise rents as much when the lease expires. At $10.45 an hour, a full-time minimum wage worker paying 30 percent of their income for rent can afford $543 a month. How many apartments are available at that rent? So, yes, the province may be spending $50 million on housing, which could create about13 percent of the number of units that were created every year in the '70s and '80s, but it's not nearly enough units to deal with the results of its other poverty-creating policies. The feds plan to spend about $75 million on housing in B.C. this year. If Vancouver got a quarter of this, and every cent of this were used to build social housing on city-owned land, that would be about $19 million, enough to build about 95 units. Add to the 95 units that Vancouver could ideally get with the federal money, say, about 45 more units with one-quarter of the provincial money for the entire province. But the money is not all for new units. Some is for shelters or for rent supplements. Some will also be for people who can afford $1,200 a month for a bachelor unit. With over 1,100 people who were newly homeless in Vancouver this year, even 140 more units won't begin to meet the need and homelessness will grow at an increasing pace. By Jean Swanson
Zones of exclusions, gentrification and disappearing low-income retail Which of these shops caters better to low-income people?
On June 11th, CCAP held a town hall meeting about zones of exclusions and retail that caters to the low-income community. The town hall was attended by about 60 Downtown Eastside residents. CCAP wants to figure out which low income serving businesses people like, why they like them and what the city can do to prevent them from being gentrified and lost.
I I
CCAP is worried because as wealthier people move into the neighborhood, more spaces are devoted to offering amenities that cater to them. Grocery stores, banks, coffee shops, restaurants, salons, various retail stores, night clubs, stylish pubs, etc. begin to appear throughout the neighborhood, and are priced beyond what people on fixed low income can afford. These sites become zones of exclusion. At the same time, retail that caters to the low-income community are priced out, upscaled or closed down. Survival street vendors are harassed, criminalized and pushed out of the neighbourhood. As gentrification destroys low-income spaces and produces more and more zones of exclusion, low-in-
come residents become alienated from their own community. It is the experience of internal displacement - the feeling of being out of place in one's own neighborhood. There were a few themes that came up over and over as the reasons people liked to shop at certain businesses. Cost is obviously a big factor, but the town hall showed that residents consider many other things when deciding where to spend their money. Businesses that genuinely care about serving the low-income community were important when deciding where to shop. Also, stores being close to where people live, and feeling respected and accepted were important in deciding where to shop. Feeling judged and looked down on before even entering or being targeted by security made residents want to avoid some places. They'd rather go to businesses that had diversity and made them feel welcome and valued as customers. Other things that discouraged people from shopping places included having to ask for the price and selling expired products.
-What people said at the -town hall about low-income .retail and zones of exclusion
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°11 Top Low-Income Reta •. 1.Carnegie 2.Sunrise 3.Army Navy Honorable Mentions: Quest & No Frill~ Places Residents Avoid 1. London Drugs 2. Nesters 3. Save on Meat
NEW PROSTITUTION LAW DISCUSSION
By lack of reinforcement. But cops' brains trigger into action without delay or distraction, When encountered with drug possession. Way too often, an extra session Of "worker's" genitalia inspection Makes up for such an imperfection. However, as they announce, Her lack of cooperation Terminates any chance For the fast-track release. So please Get real, Mumbai exploitation in Montreal, Marrakesh in Manitoba, Nepal in North-West Territories. Vancouver's DTES as red light district, Where respected judge and escaped convict Are equally served by stoned Simone Is NOT my IDEA of SOCIAL JUSTICE ZONE.
MP Joy Smith publicly vows Prostitution generates cashflows, While downplaying its flaws. In this media crusade, Attempt is being made To push for consumption Outlandish Netherlandish rubbish As a posh policy option. In this quest for public acceptance, Media narratives are trying To dust off "oldest female occupation's" taxidermy, To spit-an'-polish, To mask a problematic pariah' By submitting it for sale, As modern days' newest idea. Sex-vending Wendy's Modus vi vendi That belittles, berates and degrades Comes in handy, As glittering model of self-sufficiency And remedy for uncertain economy To justify brothel permits. From now on, God-given body';' Is a business opportunity, When infirm and unfit, Renegade and rich guy in tuxedo Are invited to satisfy with impunity Their raw libido In poor neighbourhoods like 'skid row' Social workers explain: "BLOW JOB'S A JOB". So gent, don't be a blob, Indulge in a nutrub, But don't complain In the event of a condom rupture They don't take responsibility. Sir, you are welcome to visit DTES Bridge over troubled waters~ Soulless sex aficionados, ~ fraid t I d O on 'b tea rar 0 cava ea e . h tl ~ db' nga deO' WIt t re f 'es It-race Of young women 's shelter Canada's international agreements Are non-binding, and legal age consent . Is successfully circumvented
It is an act of misogyny, When dopey Jeanie, Penny, Naomi !.' Have to expose their anatomy !.". For bills or rent money. Sex-slaves' sliding rate ratio: . ';: . 1 One daiquiri for a fellatio ':~e~F\,.lcti With every Harry or Horatio; •.~ Two martinis for a foreplay-free fuck .::k With any Bud or any schmuck . ~ ~ In short, their lives suck ; Because sex service ",,' ,l\.; It is not a substitute -a •.••.•.•..•~••• For love and family •. t 1 ... To neither men, nor women. •.. if e Prostitution law alteration is tailor-made '\~: To fit the rich male buyer, While downgrading the supplier. Although there's no enigma \2 .': \ Sex for hire carries a stigma: Not even bathrobes of madame Pompadour ~'Could make this profession dignified or pure. . . Moreover, It ..' CISnotd' a metaphor, I' .." . It's a fact of ana tan rea ity: efymg sense. . common d •
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Pharmaceutical grade crap like 10 times stronger methadone, Oxicodone and every rat poison Are legally administered with abandon By lucifers from ElIie-Lily. Mystery of'DTES as money pit' Is solved in second's split By following the money trail Into pharmalobbying pockets. Government puppets Relentlessly prevail In legalizing dope-pushing agendas. My tears are shed Because chemical shit Is being fed To helpless future generations Of Canadians during their spacewalk Inside Salome's womb. It is a time bomb waiting to explode As an intolerable workload Into the face of the health-care system. Federal Government: Suffer the children NOT! ! ! They do not have a voice Or, as the matter of fact, any choice Mila Klimova Hepatitis A and 8, syphilis are transmitted during kissing, resulting over time in liver cirrhosis, liver cancers, as well as in increased need in transplantation of the liver (Health Canada websites) - $100K is the cost of a liver transplant per person. Harm Reduction booklets mislead women into thinking they are in control of their experience as drug users and prostitution by downpJaying dangers and misrepresenting expected outcomes. Syphilis, tuberculosis are resurfacing in Canada (Google). Add to that AIDS/HIV, HPV infections and violence.
[Just because something is found on the Internet, it cin'r necessarily so.]
An Open Letter to KENNETH ANDREWS My friend and eo-worker at Carnegie Dear Ken, I didn't go to your memorial Please forgive me I'm still trying to deal with your sudden death You never complained - and you always smiled and laughed at my jokes, saying I was "your girl"Because we had similar likes & dislikes in films plays, music and art in general. And of course ART is the stormtrooper of the REVOLUTION! We laughed a lot 'cause it's easier to laugh than cry to cry to the "gods" about injustice, inequality and the lack of loving kindness right here in Canada. We never begged for mercy, that quality scarce as hens' teeth. And now things ~eem to be getting worse! War and rumours of war. Fear, xenophobia & lack of expectations for a better future; we've given up hope for a better past ... We, the people: Ken, myself & billions of others deemed by the system to be social canon fodder, the human junk that devils persons of like dreams. Dream of a comfortable bed devoid of insects, a floor devoid of other types of crawlies & the filth that accumulates in old, unattended buildings whereThe owners are multi-billionaires & their nephews or son-in-laws manage & the elevators never work & the janitor service is minimal & persons die in unexplained circumstances & drugs can be purchased at the counter in the lobby along with candy & ice cream & Ken knew all this Ken worked too hard as a runner at the Centre & spot ting syringes in the lanes outside for United We Canhe had as real social conscience. At his age he should have had a better life.. or at least an easier one. Society killed Ken and I'll miss him a lot. Wilhelmina
The Irish Washerwoman Lively
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[This ballad, written by Vaughan Evans, is sung to the tune of "The Irish Washerwoman"]
SAGA OF A DUMPSTER DIVER THIRD VERSE
My name is Dan Murphy; a binner J am I lift up the lids of every garbage can. Each bottle,each jar,each tin I retrieve To take to the depot for cash I receive. I work in the hail and the wind and the rain My shopping cart holds all that's still to my name. I'm up with the birds at the crack of dawn. Onto Vancouver's sidewalks I ramble along.
I went to a meeting at the city hall; They were planning to build a new depot next fall. The protests claimed that it would create more noise More litter, more clutter, more unruly boys I said to them firmly that they've made a mistake; If they don't like the depot go jump in a lake I then left the meeting and then rambled on; To catch a short nap before the break of dawn.
CHORUS
FOURTH VERSE
The beer and the wine and the plastic glass bottles AB go the the depot without use of throttles. I wish I were rich and could then get a wife. And NEVER raid dumpsters the rest of my life
I joined the Green Party the next November And ran for election to the Mayor's Chair By a narrow margin I was voted in My opponents all muttered a furious din From the table of oak, and my chair of teak I'll protect the homeless and the poor and the weak The selfish, the greedy, the indifferent I chide As for the dumpster divers I'm still on their side.
SECOND VERSE
One day I cut myself on some broken glass. And then I was greeted bya pretty lass. She gave me a bandage and an oven mitt. . And now the sharp objects won't hurt me one bit One day I encountered an unruly mob; Who said to be sharply "Go get a real job." I then exclaimed to them to go take a hike That having been said I jumped back on my bike.
FOURTH CHORUS
The beer and the wine and the plastic glass bottles AB go to the depot without use of throttles And now 1am rich and I now have a wife I'll never raid dumpsters the rest of my life."
Online help with separations, wills, missed mortgage payments and more
VANCOUVER-A new website from the Legal Services Society (LSS), BC's legal aid provider, will help peop deal with everyday legal issues ranging from family breakdown and family violence to preparing wills and powe of attorney, and.what to do when mortgage payments are missed. The goal is to empower people to take action 0 their own and connect them to services when additional help is warranted. "The MyLawBC website is one way we are responding to the access-to-justice crisis in BC. It provides reliable online legal help with common legal problems. But it's more than that, the site's interactive tools tailor the information to the user," said LSS CEO Mark Benton. "Research shows people are overwhelmed by online legal information and are often uncertain how to solve thei problems having read it. They are either afraid to seek out legal services or have exhausted their ability to do so,' added Benton. "MyLawBC was developed to address these needs and assist British Columbians to get timely solutions to their legal issues," he said. The site is part of an emerging trend that uses interactive online tools that deliver legal information. Its family law dialogue tool is the first of its kind in Canada. It enables couples to negotiate a separation agreement using something like a chat box. If the couple can agree on the terms of their separation after answering a series of que: tions, the site produces a separation agreement they can use. The site also helps users identify their legal issues through a series of questions and answers on a "guided pathway." The pathway leads users to a personalized action plan. The plans contain legal information in four areas of law: family, family violence, wills and personal planning, and foreclosure. "MyLawBC gives ordinary people a tool they can use to resolve some common legal problems," said Jamie Maclaren, Executive Director of the Access Pro Bono Society of BC. "Many British Columbians can't afford a lawyer and may not be eligible for our services or legal aid, so it fills, gap. What's innovative about MyLawBC is that it's interactive and produces personalized action plans, so peopl know what steps to take. It won't replace lawyers in all situations, but it will definitely help people with some ev ryday legal matters," he said. Mark Benton, QC • Vancouver, BC, V6C 3A8 Chief Executive Officer Phone: 604.601.6137/Fax:604.682.0914 Legal Services Society Email: mark.benton@lss.bc.ca 400 - 510 B urrard Street You can find MyLawBC at http://www.mylawbc.com/. The legal Services Society is the provider of legal aid services in BC. Services include legal advice, information, and legal representation for financially eligi ble people who are fad ng a family law issue involving lolence, child protection and criminal matters, and some immigration, mental health and prison law issues. \iN t.legalaid.bc.ca
Jesus Christ the Second
(revised)
I saw Jesus again today Yes, saw him at the Unknown Library He showed me his wounds Deep to the bone If I gave him nine dollars he would repay Tuesday
J pressed a townie into his leathered palm Along with my regrets. Maybe he's ajunkie Maybe he's a con artist who believes his own stories; For sure he is desperate For sure he is Jesus Wilhelmina Miles
ANYBODY CAN BUILD A BOMB I can draw blanks but I can't draw attention this sky is falling apart those who are bipolar would love to see action not apathy so why not start this Pacific Dream has been sifted into one mighty nightmare, grocery stores no longer exist hospitals & schools are to be removed as 35 thousand people for one reason or another choose to li e in our midst while important things like expanding the Richmond Auto Mall are accommodating another million cars just what we need - do you hear me.. do you care? Land & house taxes keep going up Up & AWAY they know we're still here cuz you occasionally read about the pathetic welfare & disability pay is Being Lonely a problem working for Poor Choices Inc. the fair fairy has been laid off once again, Like sociopathic people self-wrapping themselves up to avoid another All-For-One Day if war broke out would you be disappointed or still go to that swell brand new buildings party why on earth would you pray even if it came down another'd take its place it's only a matter of when, futility surrounds you despair
has been built all around you as another building-like bomb gets its permits to drown you a new one begins almost every day non-stop without pause we are an unwanted cause that only in death will we draw applause screaming just doesn't do it anymore ... Entire blocks tom down like a house of cards neighbourhoods destroyed I am getting a little pissed off as prices on everything go up it's the new disease that makes you have a stroke vomit & cough I've read of serial killers with more compassion with all disintegrating no time to get bored, the poor are being crucified for just that reason alone if you're not part of the problem helping construct these things you will be dehumanised they've bored right into your bones we are being phazed out wow the poor on the losing side (what a change!) Do the right think poor kids look forward to garbage day as others do xmas god I truly hope not yet Trump Power burned to the ground filming it would be a present never to lose what a thrill for no one to get caught presents that tick are neat talk about change These are dreams I would never set in motion I corn-: mit no crimes but it tears my heart out the way this city's heart has been tom out bit by bit over time the word compromise is forbidden like knitting the samecolour fabric oply one is allowed, Buildings go up people get thrown. around what can we do I can write about it but a million words will not change plans that are already written in cast iron & in full on use this city once made me so proud, like a TV show warning the following program may contain knowledge of things that are actually true the bombs keep going up ten twenty no thirty floors does anyone need these structures I want reasons if you do You've destroyed my cities there is nothing but writing stories it's all I can do. By ROBERT McGILLlVRA Y PS While writing this story at my Starbucks someone saw the title (which is actually a Hawaii Five-O title from Season 2). Two cops started asking what I was writing about; someone thought I might be a danger (yeah, right!) They talked to the staff while I talked & showed them the paper I write for [Carnegie Newsletter] After ten minutes they said' Write a good story' while I said 'Catch a good bad guy!' I have never made up things I've said I've seen are real & this was real. "Whom god wishes to destroy he first makes mad." -Epishiphes
Wednesday July 13, 2016
5:30pm to 8:15pm
The H. R. MacMillan Space Centre and Science 101 invites Downtown Eastside residents to a fasclnatlng Open House! Event is Free of Charge
Free transportation
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Pick-up @ 5:00pm at 2 locations: • Cord ova and Gore street • Commercial and Grant
Free planetarium show: "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity" • Explore the Space Centre and Cosmic Courtyard • Free public lecture on Astronomy
to/from
Space Center
Drop-off at same locations
Free food and drinks provided!
H.R. Macmillan
Soace Centre 1100 Chestnut Street. Vancouver
www.soacecentre.ca
Event sponsored by:
IJ •
CENTRE
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUI1BIA
Science 101 ..Engaging the community
FRÂŁÂŁSTUFF Technology is part of everyone's life. That can be a blessing or a curse, but usually a bit of both. I'm in my 60s and keeping up is not something that comes easily (nor is it cheap). A couple of Foundations, based in New York with Vancouver ties, have become interested in bringing the benefits of modem tech to bear on social justice issues. They are the Eedy Lymburner Foundation and Equal & Open Access. Help in the Downtown Eastside, the little sister of the Carnegie Newsletter, is a free resource guide for residents & visitors to our multifarious communities. It's come out 48 times since 1991 but frequency of updates has been a struggle for over half a decade. Funds are hard to secure as those with money seem to think everyone is 'on line' so why print stuff? Both versions - virtual & hardcopy - are needed. These foundations are helping. While working to provide a new updated, revised booklet, they have generously provided me with a Nexus 7 tablet, and I'm learning it from scratch. Over the next several months a piece will be in each issue on just what a tablet is, what it can do, how different applications can be made use of to improve life without having to pay through the nose for the privilege. Along with my experiences will be links to local help, where people can go to get in touch with techsavvy users and - oh yeah - what is available free. Another thing these foundations are planning on is making tablets available for something like $25-$40 (and even that is negotiable!). My first few weeks were spent with being frustrated and even angry, like when I was first learning how to use a computer. Now it's funny how easy it can be. Tune in ... Paul
The donation list is small and people give what you can. Over the years it's been helpful to have money directed at supporting the work. One big plus is how it gets spent - no one is getting.paid! Expenses are pretty much what you'd expect with almost all funding paying for the actual printing ($8500); volunteer tickets for submissions & production/distribution ($2000); petty cash for postage, office supplies, soft&hardware & mise ($1500). Another big plus is the ability of the Association to issue tax receipts. If you catch yourself about to sign a cheque to some charity, consider splitting the amount between that cause and the life or death struggles involved in putting out the Carnegie Newsletter. It'll be 30 years come August 15,2016. Respectfully submitted, PaulR Taylor, volunteer editor since 1986 .
.Here is my- donation for the Camegie Newsletter. Sc;:nd.~ income tax receipt to:
Name:
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.Please make cheques or money orders payable to the Carnegie Community Centre Association and write "Newsletter donation" on the memo line at the bottom of the cheque. . Our address is: Camegie Newsletter, 401 Main Street. Vancouver, RC. V6A2n
Carnegiet NEWS LETTE R
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LA W' STUDENTS'
Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry. Cover art - Max size 17ctn(6 :y.")wide x 15cm(6')high. Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown Easlslde, but all work considered. Black &White printing only. Size restrictions apply (i.e. if your piece is too large, it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit). All artists will receive credit for their work. Originals will be retumed to the artist after being copied for publication. Remuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets
LEGAL ADVICE PROGRAM DROP- IN Monday, Tuesday & Thursday
9 - 5, Art Gallery, Carnegie
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor. The editor can edit for clarity, format & brevity, but not at the expense of the writer's message.
Next issue:
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SUBMISSION DEADLINE
WEDNESDAY,
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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Meade
WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter
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. THIS NEWSLETIER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association ..
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We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre, and this Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory.
JULY 13TH
AIDS POVERTY HOMELESSNESS <VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ABORIGINAL GENOCIDE TOT ALIT ARIAN CAPITALISM IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR
(Publication is possible only with now-necessary donations.) DONATIONS .2016 Sheila B.$200 Robert McG.-$170 Elsie McG.-$200 In memory of Sam Snobelen: Anonymous -$100 In memory of Harold David: Susan S.-$200 In memory of Bud Osbom: Kelly F.-$40 In memory of Gram: L.-$10 Barb & Mel L.-$100 ) Cory K.-$19 Sid CT -$50 Laurie R.-$50 Winnie T.-$250' GI.enn B.-$200 .Craig H.-$500 Ellen W.-$35 Leshe 5.-$100 Mlchele C.-$100 Wilhelmina M.-$44 Humanities 101 -$300 Yasushi K.-$50+ Michael C.-$50 The Farm -$150 New Star Books -$56 Jeremy 5.-$30 Maria Z.-$50J Laila B.-$100'
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